S&T softball wins two

Monday

Mar 18, 2013 at 1:37 PMMar 18, 2013 at 1:40 PM

Lady Miners sweep past Saint Joseph's.

Luke RinneS&T Sports Information

The Missouri S&T softball team got timely hitting, good pitching and solid defense as it swept past the Saint Joseph's Pumas 6-2 and 1-0 in in its home opener in Great Lakes Valley Conference action Saturday at the S&T Softball Field.S&T, now 4-8 overall and 3-3 in the GLVC, snapped a five-game losing streak by pounding out 17 hits in the doubleheader. The Saint Joseph's Pumas fall to 8-2 and 0-2.In the opener, the Lady Miners broke on top in the second inning with some small ball. Shelby Michaelis led off the inning with a walk and then stole second. She moved over to third on Rachel Glenn's groundout to short and scored on Jamie Hatlan's single through the right side.S&T added to its lead with three runs in the fourth. Kaylea Smith and Kate Runyan led off with back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0. After back-to-back outs, Glenn came through with a single to center to score Runyan. Hatlan kept the line moving with a single to left and then Andi Davis singled to center to bring Glenn home.The Lady Miners added two more insurance runs in the sixth as Davis singled home Hatlan, who had doubled, and then Davis came around to score on a single, a passed ball and a wild pitch.That would be all the support Taylor Keal needed as she held the Puma lineup hitless for 6.2 innings. She retired 20 of the first 21 hitters she faced allowing only a lead-off walk in the third. Shawn Hoskins broke up the no-hit bid with a double to center and then Kalene Davis broke up the shut out with a 2-run home run to center field.S&T had 13 hits in the contest and was led by Davis, Cailey Baker, Smith and Hatlan with two apiece. Davis added two runs batted in as well. Keal went the distance to earn her second win of the season. She allowed the two runs on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.In the nightcap the game was a pitcher's duel between Sarah Franklin and Becca Strope. The Lady Miners scratched out an infield single in each of the first two innings while Saint Joseph's was held hitless through three.The Pumas had the game's first scoring chance in the fourth. After a groundout to short started the inning Kylie Weeks and Tiffany Gibson both singled. A groundout to second moved the runners up to second and third, but Strope got a pop out too short to end the inning.SJC threatened again in the fifth putting two on with two out, but once again Strope was able to escape with no damage. The Pumas had a golden opportunity in the seventh as Davis led off the inning with a double to right center, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. Strope got back-to-back groundouts to end the frame.With one out in the home half of the seventh Runyan lined a 3-1 offering over the fence in right center for her first ever walk-off homer to end the game.The Lady Miners had four hits in game two led by Baker, Runyan, Dana Lawson and Hatlan each with one. Strope evened her record at 1-1 pitching a complete game six-hitter. She struck out one and didn't walk a batter.